Namesake
by Arien Elensar
Summary: Nothing in our lives happens by chance. Everything is predestined. A Kaiba Seto centric oneshot


Title: Namesake

Author: Arien Elensar

Typed: March 27-8, 2009

Summary: Nothing in our lives happens by chance. Everything is predestined. (A Kaiba Seto centric oneshot)

Please do R&R. Any feedback is appreciated.

Admittedly, when he had imagined naming his first child, he had envisioned a boy. Now with a newborn girl safely nestled in his arms, all of his mental planning of the past few months had been blown out of the water. Quite frankly he had only himself to blame for having employed such one track thinking to so delicate a gamble. For years, Mokuba had often chided him of it as gently as he could, likely not wanting to pester his elder brother over something that may very well be more due to natures hand in the matter rather than any old stringent of habit.

He felt oddly out of place; the task set before him not so much daunting, as was foreign. He had heard of the belief that one's name was predestined. He'd first encountered the statement while on a business trip in America, from a numerologist advertising his services. Recalling his words now he couldn't help but feel the weight of the task delegated him.

Not that he was one to put much weight in such ideas. He, being a man who had seen not only himself but also his little brother through situations that others would have deemed hopeless, was not one to submit to the doctrines of 'fate' and 'destiny' as prescribed by others so easily. Yet even he could not escape the unease of the vastness of possibility brought on by so small a creature.

His reasons for anticipating a boy could be attributed to many things. For one, despite the changes the last few years had brought on, he was still not as attuned with the female gender as one would have hoped, likely because of his minimal contact with them in his youth. So it would only be considered natural for him to slip into the role of guardian for something he could more or less relate to. That, after caring for Mokuba for so many years, did come almost naturally. But he was no fool and was well aware that the result could go either way since they had long ago decided they did not want the child's gender disclosed before birth.

Yet even he was slightly surprised at himself when he had agreed to not learn of the child's gender in advance- in other words, he'd agreed to months of anticipation and uncertainty. For someone who was known for his forethought and strategy, it was suspiciously out of character. Avoid it he had, for if the child was a girl…

Naming their child, were anyone else to consider the idea of 'female,' a slew of generalizations came to mind. Generalizations that they would then have to sort through and discard until they found the perfect fit. But he could bypass such pondering, because, deny it as he might, even if he did choose to linger, he'd end up right back where he started. He was really just making this more difficult for himself.

He sighed in resignation as the past caught up with him once again. How was it that something he despised so greatly could stalk him so relentlessly? He who believed only in the future and resisted any attempts made at chaining him to the past? Though he'd be hard pressed to admit it memories of finding himself trembling on his hands and knees on the Domino Museum floor as he was thrust back to the present still left him on edge. Even to this day he wavered between disbelief and acceptance. If the visions shown him by the Millennium Necklace were indeed true and it was no mere coincidence that they featured the same girl he had often seen in his dreams, then he had played a hand in securing the 'destiny' which the geek squad, as he had fondly referred to them than, had taken liberties to remind of as often as they saw necessary. Although having aided the worlds continued existence was a concept he found hyperbolic in contrast to his more critical sensibilities, he found himself feeling a sense of obligation. And he was not one to doubt his own intuitions for they had served him well in business and other ventures.

He let his finger trail idly along the contours of the babies face as she lay curled asleep in his arms. He really should have known better by now. His own stubbornness in repelling the past had caught up to him on occasion before, sometimes in more unpleasant ways. Though in his defense, it was not something he could be entirely blamed for since it was a trait that had often kept him afloat through more difficult times. Again considering the task before him maybe it was not so much that he was out of place or unfit for the job but rather a feeling born from his own state of mind. His reluctance to accept the hand dealt him without grace was his own shortcoming for he had known what it meant all along. But it was not one he could ignore much longer, at least not without a guilty conscious. There were some things even the great Kaiba Seto could not change.

Being in another's debt was not something he looked favorably upon. When he did find himself in such a situation he took pains to repay what is owed. And this was no different. He was wiser than to underestimate the effects of even this, a seemingly small matter; for he had seen first-hand the power that a single will could wield, for better or worse.

If the young girl so long ago had truly sacrificed herself to protect him in this life and the next, then he had incurred a debt that he would surely repay, even it was on a more cosmic scale. The mere presence of the Blue Eyes White Dragon card in the vision had stirred his apprehensions even then. It was the sole monster he could depend on in a moment of weakness, and recalling now his long history with it, the Blue-Eyes had been his protector in more ways than one.

True he had paid homage to his favorite monster in various public displays, such as his Blue Eyes Jet and the trademark statues that flanked the entrance of every Kaiba Land, but a more personal acknowledgement was in order, one that hit closer to the heart. Considering his general defiance on the matter it was safe to say his ego would not reap the benefit from this exchange.

As he turned in his seat the child woke with a start. Hearing her cries a nurse rushed forward to attend to her. "She must be thirsty," she remarked, taking the child from his arms and exiting the room as briskly as she'd come.

_At least under my roof this one won't go hungry,_ he though with a faint smirk, as he took up a pen and began the work of completing the girl's birth certificate.

**Author's Notes: **Well I hope that didn't bore you all too much. Next time I'll try to whip up something a bit more interesting, maybe some Eliteshipping XD.

Those of you who are familiar with Kaiba's affiliation to ancient Egypt will probably understand where I was going with this and maybe even that final hunger reference. I kept the identity of Kaiba's partner ambiguous on purpose. So you can assume it's a male or female character, your OC or whoever; take your pick. Including the partner might have made it more interesting but there was already enough rambling to be done on such a minimal topic. And I should probably mention that this is the first real fan fic I've written (this was not what I hadin mind as my first but whichever way the muse flows). I feel as if my writing is still tailored for the Lord of the Rings, a fandom I use to write poetry for back in 2005-6. Or maybe it's all of the essay writing I've been doing lately. Anyways, do critique away!

But seriously, I'm not kidding about the Eliteshipping.


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